Bosh to join Wade, LeBron at NBA All-Star Game

MIAMI — Considering the theme for the Miami Heat has been sacrifice, the choice would have seemed clear.

Chris Bosh said it was not.

"I'm more of a why-can't-you-have-both kind of guy," he said.

Now he has both.

A championship ring last June. And Thursday, his eighth All-Star berth.

A week after a Twitter campaign for a starting berth led by Heat owner Micky Arison came up short, Bosh was one of seven Eastern Conference reserves selected by conference coaches.

"Every night I go out there, I try my best to help this team win," he said, as the Heat turned their attention to Friday's game against the Detroit Pistons at AmericanAirlines Arena. "That's all I've ever cared about. Numbers and all those things, I never really paid attention to 'em. If I did, I'd drive myself crazy."

Those numbers led to a degree of doubt about making it to Houston for the Feb. 17 All-Star Game alongside teammates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, who were selected as East starters in fan balloting, with those results revealed a week ago. Bosh's 17.3 scoring average is on pace to be his lowest since averaging 16.8 in his second season, in 2004-05. His 7.2 rebounding average is on pace to be a career low.

The difference is Bosh also is averaging a career-low 33 minutes per game, with coach Erik Spoelstra working through a variety of combinations.

"All the things that he does for us go above and beyond the voting for All-Stars," said Spoelstra, who cited Bosh's career-best .543 shooting percentage. "We know how valuable he is to us. We've said it time and time again, he's our most important player."

The result of the fan balloting for starters and coaches' voting for reserves left the Heat as the only team with three All-Stars this season.

Bosh, who was unable to play in the 2009 All-Star Game due to injury, said he was confident he would accompany James and Wade to Houston.

"I have the ultimate confidence in myself," he said. "That has never been an issue throughout my lifetime. I feel I'm one of the best players in the league. Whether it's debatable or not, I really don't care. It's about what I think, and that's it."

Four of Bosh's previous selections came with the Raptors, when the stats were significant but the success slight.

"It's not the same, having a different role, a 20-10 guy, of course, All-Star, but come postseason, struggling," he said of his Raptors experience. "It's all about wanting to be on top, really. And that's what this team is about. We all have to sacrifice different things. But that's a part of business, and that's a part that you really have to test yourself with."

Ultimately that test will now include a weekend in Houston in February.

"I just do what I can control," he said. "Every night I go out there, I try my best to help this team win."

The next All-Star decisions will be when coaches are determined based on teams' records through games of Feb. 3.

While the Heat's schedule is about to get tougher, with games in Boston, Brooklyn and Indiana, Spoelstra remains the front-runner to become only the second Heat coach to work the game. Stan Van Gundy did it in 2005, taking Spoelstra as a member of his staff.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," said Spoelstra, who has been able to avoid the assignment the past two seasons. "Certainly you always try to play for the best record you can possibly get.

"I know my focus isn't necessarily on that, but it's an incredible honor to be part of that weekend," he said.

That was followed by a moment of candor, "You don't have much time off in this league." . . .

Heat guard Mario Chalmers already has his All-Star Weekend plans, with Kansas University to retire his No. 15 jersey at halftime of their Feb. 16 ESPN-televised game against Texas.

Chalmers was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2008 NCAA Final Four, when Kansas won the national championship, with Chalmers sending the championship game against Memphis into overtime with a 3-pointer.

"He was as clutch of a player as we've ever had here," coach Bill Self said.